Well, after a quite busy Memorial Day, I’m finally able to post today’s concept art article. This one is focusing on several of the multiplayer maps in Halo 4.

So let’s take a tour of what the Infinity’s holodeck has in store for us in war game maps!

First up, Abandon.
Abandon looked very different in early stages. While still much overgrowth, it didn’t have as much of a canopy to it nor was as dark. Some of those formations in the concept above are quite alien. The two curving ones with spike coming out of them look like an alien creature, more than rock or foliage.
Above it seems those curving elements might have been carnivorous plants. Now THAT would have been something pretty unique. An interactive element that will try to kill you if you get too close.

Here we see Abandon with more of the canopy. Are those buggers in the sky? The lit alcove the Spartan is standing by look like Yoda’s hut from Star Wars. That would have been a nice nod to another sci-fii franchise.

Here we see Landfall in black and white. There are certainly similar elements to this design when compared with the final version.Here though, there is much less of the pier area. Well, at least from what we can see of it.

Let’s move on to Exile.
Exile is a colorful map. Between the grey remnants of the crashed ship, the browns of the dirt and rock and the plethora of greens for foliage, there is plenty to take in. This concept is a good reminder that you not only should have contrasting colors, as well as highlights and shadows, but textures as well.
Normally metal textures within a natural setting might not blend so well. However, given that this is a crash site and the human survivors have made due with what they had left of the ship, I think they blend together nicely. In the final version, I do not feel that the ship parts overpower the natural elements, which is a good thing.

Here we see the bulk of the ship’s aft engine section. Beautiful in it’s tragedy. I wish this part of the map was able to be explored as well.
The last of the Exile concepts I have to show is from above. Here the rock outcroppings take on strange arching shapes. While arches do occur in nature, they are fairly rare and not so many in one place either. Those peaks seem very fragile.

This is no cave! (Or is it?)
Erosion is a map with lots of potential for forging on. The concept above brings together browns and aquamarine colors to highlight that this isn’t just an ordinary cave, but extraordinary. The piping at bottom left helps with scale.

Now here we have a LOT of piping coming from some internal structure that we can not entirely see. I like the industrial feel of this concept and have to say that I’d MUCH more would have preferred this as the final map, so long as we could build at water’s edge. I imagine in this rendering that some of the map went into that back industrial area. One thing I like about this piece is how well the water was done. The rocks and pipes below the waterline look fantastic and believable.

The above concept is very close to the final version. The main different is that the building seems to go up and form a portion of the roof of the map. That’s one thing I’m glad didn’t happen. Did you know you CAN build on the roof of the building in Erosion? It’s an excellent space. Go check out the pieces built on top of it.
Another angle of nearly the same view, we see where water was to play a role in this map. Alas, that didn’t make the cut. While it wouldn’t have done much, it still would have been a nice aesthetic element. Perhaps it was cut due to time constraints?
Here we see a highly contrasted Erosion. If only we had the ability in forge to add that many lights to our maps… It appears as if this concept doe not have the large open area beyond the lighter portion. Rather it seems more “flat” by design. Honestly, I’d have liked that too.

So much of Erosion is unusable as a realistic map. Those greenish stalactites in the distance are just that, in the distance. You can’t build near all of them. I hope 343 takes more of that into account for the next game. If you’re going to make a massive map, make most of it useable. Please.

No, this isn’t the Composer you’re seeing. Though that is what many folks thought when they first saw this on Complex. It is surely Forerunner, though we do not know it’s use. This concept seems better than the map we got, well at least that portion of it. In the above, there are several floors, more aesthetic elements and such. In fact, this kind of reminds me of “Coutdown” from Reach. And that is perhaps why we didn’t get it as the final version.

A very different looking Adrift. It seems we were to have more of a spaceship to play on that a simple platform. While I like Adrift, I hope we do get another derelict spaceship map in the next game. Hopefully one with a low gravity area on it too like Condemned from Halo Reach. Perhaps because this concept was named for the former, 343 decided to go a different direction from it. It’s a shame how many of the Bungie things are shunned by 343. where it not for Bungie, there would be no Halo.
You may have seen this concept before.It’s Ravine. Much of the map looks similar to the final. Personally, I’d rather have this version with the central platform bridges and beam of light.
Here we see that the Forerunner half of the map was to be much more like a coliseum than the more trapezoidal shape we got. Again, I’d have preferred this instead. Heh, It’s really strange how much I prefer many of the concept versions over the actual maps we got in the game. One thing that really stands out above is the heavy blue light.
Ravine, though not at all how we know it by today. I like the far off ground structures here.

The above is a much more majestic form of Ravine. That Forerunner structure is MASSIVE. Again we have the central platform, now with a sphere included.The bridge in the foreground is more symmetrical than the similar structure of the final version. Yep…I’d have preferred this over the in-game one as well.

Now this version of Ravine is my favorite of the Ravine concepts. It reminds me both of Forge World from Halo Reach as well as a portion of Halo CE. I hope that 343 and/or Certain Affinity will create maps at water level with this kind of detail. Water seemed like a weak spot in Halo 4. The lone being walking the beach gives us the immense sense of scale that the Forerunner structures have to them.
Finally, we have Skyline. A rare urban environment. This concept is nothing like the final version. With many large buildings in the background, a more wide open map (I’m assuming the right area is the playable area here), this concept shows the Skyline we could have got. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the in-game version. The Paris streets in the background of the map (yes, that is what they are), added to it’s realism. But this concept says “Skyline” more to me than the actual one does. I hope this concept is revisited for a potential map in Halo 5 Guardians.

We’ve still got 2 more parts of the Halo 4 Environmental Concept Art articles to go. Tune in tomorrow for Part 4 Forerunner Environments.

Did you like today’s concept art article? If so, what about it did you like? Have any favorites in this article? If so, what about it/them make it a favorite?

Reply below. You know I’m always curious to know what you folks think of these as well.

-Sal

I didn’t get to yesterday’s concept art article due to my family being in from out of town for the weekend. It’s now just before 7am and none else is awake. So I’m going to get one to you now and hopefully another to catch up.

First off we have some art from Certain Affinity, makers of the multiplayer map, Meltdown.

In this image we have a Forerunner structure within one of the caves on Meltdown. This didn’t make it into the map, unfortunately. It would have been good to have this in, especially if it was interactive in some way. I like the scale of the cave in relationship to the spartan.
This concept shows us a similar cave, with a much colder theme than the previous. This one is more reflective of what we got in the final version. I like the overall use of blue hues to really bring out the cold and ice. It’s a well done concept, IMO.
Here we are at the front of one of the Forerunner garages. Heh, I didn’t know they had a need for garages… Anyway, this evokes Forerunner architecture quite nicely.The final version changed slightly. Use of shadow and light is decent, with the blue light at the background of the concept drawing your eye toward it.
One of the portions of the figure eight styled paths, this of course on the frozen side. There is a high amount of detail in this piece for being a concept. I’d like to have this as a print.
And here we have a slight transition to the “melted” side of the map. The Forerunner structure top left is going into meltdown, hence the map name. Again, the amount of detail in this is impressive. Why we don’t have an all concept or a concept to creation book that includes this kind of stuff amazes me. Yes, I know we had a concept book. But for me as a HUGE fan of concept art, it just wasn’t enough. Beyond that, I think there is money to be made from these pieces. Something I’d think 343 would be interested in.

Now let’s move on to the Forward Unto Dawn’s crash site on Requiem.

The crash site of the Forward unto Dawn (FUD) was used heavily in the ad campaign for Halo 4. The piece above should look fairly familiar to you. It’s another very well done concept with plenty of detail. What really makes this stand out is the contrast between the bright light shining through at top, down through the wreckage to the fires burning below. 
This may or may not be the FUD. If it isn’t, then it’s the Infinity. Either way, the dark blue hues mixed in with greens make this almost moody, but for the contrasting light on the left of the piece.
Master Chief walks among the smoldering remains of the FUD. Here, even in rough texturing, we can see the separation of foliage from wreckage, burning embers to twisted metal. Take a CLOSE look at this piece (click to make bigger), and you’ll see how color was layered on the concept. It’s quite a work of art.

Strangely enough when I downloaded this, this is exactly how it appeared. I think it was reversed somewhere along the way. You can tell by the UNSC logo on the upper portion of the wreckage being backwards. Regardless of that, the many shades of grey tell the tale of the armored remains of the FUD. A once proud ship in service to the UNSC, reduced to scrap.
Here is an even earlier concept similar to the first FUD piece seen above. While not as detailed, it helps the person making the decision on which way to take this piece a good visual representation of the scene. I sure wouldn’t want to breathe that air!


Now this piece looks pretty similar to the art used of the cover of Halo 4. Huge chunks of falling debris entering Requiem’s inner levels. Scale is a little difficult to measure here with your eye. However, I believe that wasn’t the intention of this piece, but rather to show the remnants of the FUD as the fell. The mostly centered light shines brightly on those pieces towards the center and dissipates as it flows towards to outer edges of the concept. Quite believable.
Here is another example of a sophisticated concept. Many things happening at one. The burning of the large engines, Chief walking away, small fires on the ground and the piercing light from the clouds make this piece visually exciting and hard to look away from after a few seconds. I’ve looked at this piece many times and still manage to find something different that I hadn’t noticed previously.

Let’s have a look at some miscellaneous concepts from Halo 4.

Not really a concept in the sense of how the others in this article are portrayed, this storyboard of Chief’s rescue is a good representation of the scene in just a few panels without having to tell the whole story.

The above three I’m a little perplexed by. Is it the destruction of Requiem? The first of the three says no. So what is this then? A planet being ripped apart by Requiem? This is something I’m going to have to get to the bottom of. The progression of destruction between the second and third of these is quite dramatic. With the large chunks off to the side barely moving between the two pieces, the two together say that this disaster was sudden and immediate.
What I like about the concept above are the techniques employed throughout to show various elements. The metal isn’t quite finished in rendering, yet easily discernible as metal. The foliage in many spots look like quick brush strokes, yet perfectly blend in with the rest of the piece.
This is another concept that I’m not entirely sure where it’s supposed to be. To me it seems this should be part of the Infinity, yet the title of the art does not convey that.  What is interesting about the art is the contrast between the dark foreground and light mid- and background. As well, the spotlight in the upper right corner draw my eye there, though I’m not sure what the artist wants me to see. The almost iridescent colors throughout say that this is industrial by nature.

You may have seen the above concept before. Once again there are several things going on in the piece that keep your attention. Chief in the foreground for one. But how about those tangling above ground roots of the trees? Not to mention the flying squid in the background. We didn’t get to see those animals, in-game. The trees themselves were much more dense in the game than they are here. Shame as I would have loved to have explored this area.
And finally for this article, we have a mysterious Forerunner structure right in the middle of the jungle/forest. This actually reminds me much more of something from halo CE, than Halo 4. Perhaps that was what was trying to be mimicked here. Would this have been another portal to another place in the campaign? Deeper into Requiem? It’s rich dark colors make this piece rather foreboding. I wouldn’t want to go in, but as Chief, well, he isn’t afraid of anything.

In the next Concept Art article, we’ll take a look at some other multiplayer maps in Halo 4.

So did you see any concept art new to you in this article? Any ones you really like? Let me know by replying below!

-Sal

My friend MixMaker117 posted up a vid of Halo 4 Easter Eggs and Glitches. If you haven’t found some of the Easter Eggs, this is a good video to find out where to look for them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIepJVGs60Q&feature=youtu.be

-Sal

Today there are three DOZEN concepts to show in the rough concept stage. I’m breaking from the normal format and am going to post a gallery instead of each individual pic. As such, you’ll have to click on whichever thumbnail to view the whole pic. (If I didn’t do it this way, this article would be MASSIVE.)

There is so much goodness in these thumbnails. Have fun exploring the gallery. Feel free to download. If you repost any, let people know that you found them here on HaloFanForLife.com

What do you think of this format, versus me explaining each pic? Let me know, reply below. If you’re not registered with the blog, it’s free to do so. Click HERE to find out how to register.

-Sal

Alirght then, here we are at the last part of the Reach environments I have to share at this time.  It’s also the last part of the Reach concepts I have to share. Tomorrow will start the Halo 4 environment articles.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the reach concepts.

Part of the New Alexandria cityscape, this concept is fairly clean for a marker rendering. Many of the buildings in those missions had a fairly pristine look to them, even while under attack by the Covenant. This particular concept serves as a great point by which the environmental artists can draw from.
The concept above should be pretty familiar if you were playing Halo 3, while waiting for Halo Reach. It was used as a marketing tool. Powerhouse, for which this concept became the basis for, changed a bit in look from this. However,it did maintain the base structure and bridges. The right portion is what changed the most.

Did you know that this beacon can actually be seen in the game? While playing the middle portion of “Ling Night of Solace” fly your Sabre beyond the Space Station and you’ll see a similar beacon beyond it. Without a background or another object to give this scale, this beacon could have been any size the artists wanted it to be. While many times it’s a good idea to show scale, with certain objects, you might want to leave it up to the viewer to determine the size. In this case, that’s what happened. The only thing to give a clue to the size is the radar dish at the top right corner.
This is a concept of the interior of the Mutliplayer map “Anchor 9” It’s much more dark than the final version. I actually prefer this. In my opinion, darker spaces to play matchmaking in tend to focus the gamer to the task at hand. Otherwise, if you’re like me, I spent time, even during matches, exploring and looking at the details of maps. LOL
Here we see the basement of Sword Base. This area is seen twice in the campaign and can be seen somewhat on the Firefight map “Courtyard”. Though it’s tougher to see in the latter due to shielding getting in the way. This concept looks VERY much like the final version. I’d make a guess that this was further along in the design process than an initial sketch or color rendering.
Now this concept is interesting. It reminds me more of a scene from Halo CE, than Reach. This was to be a part of Sword Base. For whatever reason it was cut from the game. I’d love to see this space reused in a future Halo title. I do like the contrasting lighting. It clearly conveys that the lighted areas are the main hallways, while this room is just an offshoot of it.
Another of the marketing concepts, this Sword Base rendering might have you a little dizzy with it’s varied slanted bridges and angles. I’m a bit curious as to why the artist chose a cold blue theme for this concept. Perhaps it’s to help convey the location of Sword Base, which we know is in one of the coldest temperaments on Reach.
One of the rooms within Sword Base, this brightly lit concept was use, though parts of it were. I find it a little strange that there is a reception desk in the middle. It does add some realism though.


While this piece is marked as something from Sword Base, I can’t see where it would fit in.  It looks as though the artist was going for a modular look for most of the sketches herein.  The bottom middle sketch has me intrigued the most. I wonder what that device would have been used for?
And last but not least, the Traxus tower. Versions of this were seen as many buildings in the city. It was fun to fly around/above them with the Falcon. It’s plainly obvious that this skyscraper is very tall. The gentle horizontal lines in the left black portion tell us that those are individual stories within the building. So how tall is this tower? I hope for the next game we have a couple of missions or more that require flying, be they in a cityscape or in space.

Should I find more concepts from Reach, I’ll post those at a later date. I hope you’ve enjoyed the look back to Bungie’s last Halo game and hope you’ve seen some new things and have been entertained by the articles. If you’ve liked these, let me know by replying below.

Okay folks, tomorrow we move on to Halo 4’s Environments!
-Sal